Recovery Time: Six Months
by Amledo
Summary: A Bruce/Tony fic that is set well after the Avengers movie. Bruce is forced to leave battle when the Hulk is temporarily subdued. It was a battle that shouldn't have taken long at all, so why is it that 8 hours have passed before Bruce hears from anyone? And why isn't it Tony? Features Avenger!Loki and general team-ness the slash is mild.
1. Chapter 1

(A/N: Argh, I can't stop writing Avengers fanfiction. It's like a sickness, just one that I really don't mind having. Anyway, since I liked doing the Bruce/Tony or Brony pairing as I have been told it is called, I figured that it wouldn't be too much trouble if I took another whack at it. And I really like schmoop so there's that too. I do not own the Avengers and the only thing that I get out of this is a fangirl giggle and blush, because what else would I do? Anyway, now that's all been said let's get this show on the road.)

Recovery Time: Six Months

Bruce came to with a startled gasp and a slight jump, his heart feeling out of rhythm and the Hulk telling him that he might have been dead. His eyes danced between green and their norm as his gaze locked onto Loki's pale face. The God of Mischief wore streaks of blood and soot like war paint, his pupils dilated from fear and exhilaration. Bruce swallowed heavily and took the offered hand, Loki's magic swirled over him briefly and he was mercifully clothed once more.

"Might I suggest Doctor that you retreat to safety?" Loki said mildly, his brilliant green eyes fixed to the left. Bruce realized in that moment that there was a shimmering barrier separating him from the battle. It took him a moment longer to understand that the Hulk was being restrained. His eyes widened and he swung his gaze to Loki's face, searching for an explanation.

"How? We were…" he could not think clearly, the Hulk was roaring but he was disconnected from that rage. He knew the feeling, it had happened once before during the Abomination incident.

"Drugged. Now go Doctor. Tony is fine and we will manage without you," Loki said though his patience was clearly worn thin. Bruce finally nodded and scrambled away from the fight. He hated to be forced into retreat, but in his current state he was of no use to anyone.

"You alright Mean Green?" Tony's voice came over his ear piece and Bruce smiled at the nonchalance with which his boyfriend was able to speak. Iron Man was flying rapid circles around the beast that they had been fighting, blasting away at the now cracked carapace. Loki had leapt back into the fray in the only way a Magic user truly could, his staff swung above his head simultaneously shielding and blasting away with fireballs.

"Sore, tired, caged, angry, chained, pissed," Bruce said as his own thoughts mingled with those of the Hulk. Tony had always wanted a status report from the both of them anyway so it was just easier to check and see what his more violent self wanted at any given time. Not that Hulk didn't tend to soften a bit around Tony, but that was just a matter of their relationship.

"Yeah, well, that's to be expected. This one's handlers knew about you my Green husband to be. But I'm just glad that you're okay. Now scram, I don't have the energy to focus on you and this thing," Tony said and Bruce smiled as he slipped through a barrier of rubble. Tony's way of showing his love was often sarcastic and commonly left the rest of the team wondering if they had recently had a fight; Bruce wouldn't have it any other way.

"I'm going you compassionless jackass. You'd better thank Loki for protecting my modesty. And when you get home I expect you to hop to on those Hulk-proof clothes," Bruce retorted, knowing that only one thing would happen when Tony got home. The traditional 'thank God you're safe' hour of cuddling would be followed by the team-work after party and then they would finally let Fury debrief them.

"Of course darling," Tony's voice was cheeky as he responded.

Bruce was whisked off to Avenger's Tower by a SHIELD agent and his communicator went out of range.

Eight hours later he was sick with fear, pacing the living area and tugging at his hair. The Hulk was still trapped within him and he was still cut off. The monster had been half-defeated when he'd left; they'd done so much damage to it in only an hour. But hearing nothing when he should have already been in bed and wrapped around Tony as the billionaire regaled him with the story of the fight, it was eating him alive.

He nearly came out of his skin, and not in a Hulk sort of way, when Loki appeared in the middle of the room. The God looked battered and scraped up, his forehead was slashed open and his clothing scorched. Bruce didn't hesitate, he stepped into Loki's sphere of space, felt that long-fingered hand wrap around his bicep and closed his eyes tightly. Being whisked through extra-dimensional space was not something that he intended to get used to, but it if it was serious enough that Loki came to get him in the shape that Loki was in, then he would deal with the discomfort.

When they landed Loki's knees gave out but Bruce managed to grab him before he fell. He levered the fallen God into the waiting arms of Clint Barton, who looked much worse for the wear. Bandages covered his chest and abdomen and it looked as if part of his vest had been melted to his left arm. Thor, scorched and scratched, moved to assist their archer in moving Loki into the care of the SHIELD hospital staff.

By then Bruce was grateful for the drug that restrained the Hulk because his heart was racing out of control. The only face that he did not see was Tony's. Natasha was burnt and both of her arms were taped up. Steve was similarly scorched but was also missing his shirt and sported a large bandage on his right side. The Captain stood and limped carefully toward Bruce.

"Glad to see you made it out. Tony told us what happened. He's in with the doctors now. Left arm is broken, three fractured ribs, partially crushed pelvis, and compound fracture in the left leg. Thing crushed him in the suit," Steve said in as succinct a manner as he could manage while struggling to breathe properly. Bruce deduced smoke inhalation as the probable cause of the Captain's trouble because he didn't dare let his mind wander to how badly Tony must hurt. And he certainly didn't let his mind go anywhere near the idea that Tony could have died.

"He'll be okay?" Bruce forced the question out, his eyes fixed downward on his clenched fists.

"Yes Bruce. But he wants to see you," Steve said softly and gestured over to one of the agents that stood around the waiting room. She looked sympathetic as she led Bruce through the door that led into the ward where Tony was being treated. Of course he soon understood that her look of sympathy was not due to the fact that his boyfriend was injured when he heard the colorful language Tony was spouting at the top of his voice.

"You can give him pain medicine doctor. He's not the type to ask for it lightly," Bruce said and slid into a chair at Tony's bedside, avoiding the temptation the stare at the damage wrought upon the left half of Tony's body.

"That's not the problem. They won't let me have it until my head scans check out," Tony growled, obviously on at least a little medication to still be fighting mad in the shape that he was in. Bruce rolled his eyes and grabbed his partner's hand, kissing the back of it lightly.

"I'm sure your impressive brain is perfectly fine. But just let them do their job. You're lucky you idiot. You know that?" Bruce said when Tony leaned closer for a real kiss. He still stank of blood and burnt flesh, likely not his own but from the Avengers that had carried him, but Bruce didn't care at all. So much else could have gone wrong that he was just relieved to feel Tony's lips against his own.

"The injuries to his bones guarantee a six month recovery. He's going to need physical therapy. But since you have proven to be the only one that he listens to, I am telling you Doctor Banner, he is not to attempt to use the suit nor rehab himself. He can do some serious damage to his body if he does," the doctor was a kind-faced woman but Tony looked at her like she was the Devil when she addressed Bruce. After 8 years of the Avengers working together it was well documented that Tony would instantly cave when Bruce was involved, and SHIELD agents abused that knowledge.

"Understood Doctor," Bruce said firmly, his eyes fixed on Tony's trying to convey that there would be no sneaking around said requirements. The brown eyed brunette just rolled his eyes and sank slightly in the bed, hissing when the sheets brushed against his bruised skin. Tony was the only Avenger, aside from Bruce that hadn't been scorched, but somehow he still managed to be in worse shape than anyone other than Loki. And Bruce wondered briefly at that. Loki had gone into battle recently in a way that he would normally associate with Tony's brash personality. He shuddered to think that he would have to watch out for two renegades rather than one.

"You had better be prepared to deal with me getting flabby," Tony said sullenly and Bruce slipped his fingers over Tony's six pack with a small smile.

"We will just have to adjust your diet eh Princess? Can't have your girlish figure getting ruined. How will you ever fit in the suit if it does," Bruce joked but the sentiment was there_ I'm glad you're alive you loveable idiot_ and Tony's smile said that he understood. But the kiss said it better.

(A/N: So that's it. Let me know how you liked it yeah? I'm still fairly new to the pairing so I hope that I'm doing it well enough.)


	2. Chapter 2

(A/N: This is becoming a trend. For those of you who wanted to see the recovery process for Tony, you will have it, mostly because I have finally figured out how to write it. I don't own the Avengers and I never will. This is still a Bruce/Tony fic, so don't think that there won't be some gay kissing and whatnot. I think that there will be another chapter or two for this, so I will put it under the 'In Progress' heading. Go ahead and put an alert on it or on me as an author since I don't know when I will be updating. Okay, on with the show!)

Part 2: Baby Steps

1 Month Later

Tony was recovering well, though it had only been a month his body was healing more quickly than expected. His bruises were only faded reminders and he had been cleared of the danger that the concussion had placed him in since there had been some brain swelling. After he had rigorously tested himself to ensure that his mind still worked at its old clip, which it did, he had gone back to the lab to work on plans. Bruce was there to keep him occupied when he started to get the itch to build something, lending a hand or even taking up the task himself.

The rest of the team figured that Bruce's involvement was the reason that Tony was not nearly as much of a handful as they had expected him to be. Even confined to a wheel chair and unable to stand or even lean to the side on his own, they had expected belligerence on a scale that would have put the old Loki to shame. None of them dare commented that he might be in too much pain to be his normal self, if there was one surefire way to make Tony Stark feel bad about himself, it was to imply that he had any sort of inferiority. And if he did get out of hand, they knew that they could just wheel him into a corner for half an hour and he would have to accept that he had been a jerk.

Clint Barton, otherwise known as Hawkeye had earned himself the additional title of 'that pompous bastard that left Tony at the supermarket'. Tony had been mocking him relentlessly but Bruce hadn't heard that part past Steve saying 'he was almost in tears when I finally found him'. That day Hawkeye had met Hulk and it had taken a full 20 minutes of chasing and smashing and Clint begging for his life before Thor took pity on him and dropped Mjölnir on Hulk's back.

There hadn't been a problem since, mostly because Clint had been scared straight, but also because the incident had turned Bruce, and the Hulk into a veritable pair of mother hens. Bruce refused to let Tony be alone with anyone except Steve or Loki. Steve because the Super Soldier had a moral compass that always pointed true north and not even Tony Stark could make it waver. Loki because the God of Trickery was someone that Tony could be an absolute bastard around and nothing bad could come of it. They operated on the same wavelength, sarcastic jackass, genius, insecure as all hell, and a sense of humor like a bed of nails. Sometimes Bruce wondered why Tony hadn't fallen for Loki instead. But then he learned that they were too alike and that too much time together had them tossing insults like five year old children.

"When are you going to sleep in our bed again?" Tony asked his voice sullen as he reached for Bruce's hand. They physicist calmly gathered Tony's fingers in his own and pressed their palms together. A small smile lifted his lips, serving to highlight the sadness that he felt at their forced separation.

"When the doctors say that I can. I miss you too Tony, I really do," Bruce pressed his lips against Tony's hand before leaning forward and kissing Tony gently on the lips. The billionaire closed his eyes and sighed, the recovery process had been far more taxing mentally than it had been physically.

"I'm sorry; I know that this isn't great for you either. I love you, and you've been fantastic, putting up with me the way you have," Tony said and Bruce stood up, carefully moving so that he could wrap his arms around Tony in the only sense of a hug that they were allowed to have. The armor had already been redesigned so that it would never again experience a crush injury, but the practical data shouldn't have had to come at such a cost.

"It's okay Tony, we've been together long enough, you can say that you miss being cuddled," Bruce said, trying to make a joke but not having the heart to laugh when he saw Tony's face. It was true. Tony was made to cuddle and Bruce hadn't been able to hold him properly in exactly 33 days and 13 hours. Running a thumb along Tony's cheek Bruce pulled out his cell phone and flipped through his contacts list.

"What are you doing?" Tony asked, leaning against the warmth of Bruce's hand.

"I am calling your doctors. I want to know when I can be close to you again. You aren't made of glass," Bruce said firmly, the stress of the distance between them cemented into the scowl marks on his face. Tony nodded slightly and picked up his Smart Pen once more, drawing out the modification blueprints for a few new arrow heads that Clint had been talking about. Ever since the supermarket incident they had both hesitantly been making it up to one another and the arrow heads were Tony's final 'I forgive you' gift.

Bruce walked away across the lab and though his voice remained low, it was obvious that he was frustrated. Being that Tony was around there wasn't much of a chance of a Hulk incident, but it certainly looked like there could have been. It was always a surreal experience for Tony whenever he realized that a man with rage issues as big and green as Bruce's had picked him for a partner. Their love was strange and interesting, but it was something that Tony would die to preserve.

Almost ten minutes later Bruce smashed the cellphone against the floor, taking a long moment to stare at the shattered mess of it and to have a few deep breaths. He walked quickly toward Tony and removed the pen from Tony's hand, wordlessly turning the wheel chair and making his way out of the lab. It only took a couple seconds for Tony to realize what was going on and then he was beaming.

Bruce got them to their room in record time, lifting Tony just as gently as ever from the chair and placing him under the covers of their bed. When Bruce climbed under the blankets as well, Tony's heart suddenly stopped aching. He laid his head against Bruce's chest and sighed with relief. It didn't hurt nearly so badly with his boyfriend there to hold onto him. He was certain that he would heal more quickly if he got to spend his nights snuggled up to the man he loved.

(A/N: And there it is. I hope you liked it, and I like to remind you that there will be more. So let me know what you thought and I will see you next time.)


	3. Chapter 3

(A/N: I seriously don't know how this thing got so shuffled into the bottom of the stack. I never usually allow something to stay on the back burner for so long. So, I want to say that I am sorry and I hope that you can forgive me. I really do. Now, I don't own the Avengers, and there haven't been any changes as to the warnings concerned in this fic, so don't expect anything to have changed just because I vanished for…what is it, eight months? I don't know. But anyway, on with the show!)

Part 3: A Minor Setback

Three Months Later, Four Post Injury

Loki cursed fluidly, a stream of ancient Nordic and modern English words spilling from his lips, none of them able to pass for 'polite conversation'. But the situation seemed to merit it as he knelt beside Tony's motionless body. The billionaire was unconscious, his face scorched slightly, one eyebrow missing and the hair on that same side singed short. His bandages, which had only recently replaced full casts, had mostly burn away, leaving blistered and abraded flesh behind. The smell of burnt flesh and hair was acrid in Loki's nose, but the fear and concern that made his heart pound so wildly, far surpassed that.

"What were you doing you fool? Bruce hasn't trusted you to be alone since the battle and this is how you think to prove your own safety?" Loki scowled, surveying the damage to the lab as his fingers rested against the pulse in Tony's neck. Finding the other man's heart to be beating in the same strong, regular tempo that he had gotten used to, Loki allowed himself to relax enough to observe the components of the explosion. He did not like the conclusion. Realistically there should not have been a single volatile component to the device that Tony had been constructing. Unless, of course, there was some new exploding coffee craze that Loki had not been informed about, Midgardian people were weird like that. Thor had 'found' the coffee pot broken, and Loki hadn't believed him until now.

"Loki? JARVIS called me, what's…going…" Bruce swallowed thickly and stared around before his eyes dropped to where Loki was steadfastly holding Tony's head straight. The green eyed god frowned and threw a shield up around the doctor while he dealt with his fear and concern. Nowhere in the medical texts that he had been investigating, did it state that a giant green rage monster was a good thing for a patient with a possible spine or neck injury.

"When you can swallow the beast again, doctor, I could really use your help here. My magic can only do so much. I cannot revive him or tend to any swelling that may be occurring. I can tell you that his heart is beating normally, and that his lungs do not seem to be compromised, aside from that, I am in need of your expert opinion," Loki said firmly, his voice an even volume.

"Right. I know, I know. JARVIS, call Tony's doctors, everyone that has been monitoring his recovery and let them know that there has been an incident. Tell them it seems to be a minor setback, but pending a full exam, I need them all on call," Bruce said, hands shaking as he rubbed them against his favorite pair of jeans. A deep breath brought him the scent of Tony, imbedded in the shirt that belonged to the man, he would not allow the Hulk to ruin it, let alone endanger Tony.

Clint seemed to materialize out of nowhere, but Bruce knew that he had to have come from the medical bay that adjoined the lab as he was carrying a neck brace and a backboard with him. Somewhere along the line, the Hulk had forgiven the archer for the supermarket incident, and seeing Clint didn't throw Bruce over the edge as it would have before. In fact, seeing the man carrying things that were meant to help Tony seemed to foster a sense of trust in the Hulk's mind.

Being that Loki was a god, his muscles and motor control were more finely honed than Bruce's or even the magnificently accurate Hawkeye's, and as such he only seemed to trust himself to keep Tony's head stable. Two clones spawned a few steps behind Clint and moved in tandem to slip the neck brace into place before the three of them worked as a unit to get the billionaire onto the backboard. Bruce gathered himself in time to help Loki and Clint move Tony into the medical bay.

By the time that they were able to get Tony moved onto the bed that had become his hospital bed, Bruce had calmed down and was thinking as clearly as he ever did. Thankfully medicine was something that he could use to focus his mind and separate himself slightly from the fact that it was his Tony that was unconscious on the stark white sheets of a medical facility. Loki's reassuring hand squeezing his fingers was certainly not the thing that had grounded him, not at all.

"Clint, if you could call the doctors back and inform them that we will not be transporting Tony, and wait at the doors for them, I would truly appreciate it," Bruce said softly and Clint gave a grim smile and a short nod.

"I'm going to call up the security footage as well. He was only working on the coffee maker, and none of us have messed with that," Clint said carefully, seeing the way that Bruce's jaw clenched at the thought of their security being compromised.

"The lab footage and all entrances, plus any kitchen footage if you can find it," Bruce commented, mind running through a thousand and one possibilities after Clint nodded once more and vanished. If anyone had eyes that could spot an intruder, it would be Clint, and Bruce was reassured that Natasha would join in the effort as well.

"I would venture a guess that he had little to no warning that this was going to happen," Loki muttered, considering Tony's body carefully as he helped Bruce to cut away charred clothing and bandages. It was obvious to both of them who had the steadier hands and Bruce was entirely silent as he left the task to Loki. The doctor instead busied himself with digging through drawers and cabinets, finding spare bandages and ointment to deal with the damage from the burns. He also filled a basin with warm water and placed a fresh washcloth in it.

Tony was down to his boxers, which had escaped charring thankfully, as Loki did not look like he would have been very willing to remove said article of clothing from the unconscious billionaire. The neck brace would impede Bruce's ability to clean Tony entirely, or even to treat the burns, but he was willing to allow the burns to go for a moment or two to ensure that he did not paralyze the man that had stolen his heart so completely that marriage was on the table. Bruce had never expected to get married before the incident that created the Hulk, and after he had all but written the concept off as a dream. But Tony wanted him, enough to put a ring on his finger and pick a date. The date had come and gone, of course, but Tony's recovery was far more important than saying a few vows or signing a piece of paper.

(A/N: Sorry to kind of leave it at a cliffhanger, but if I keep going, it will just spiral into a huge thing, and I don't want to do that to you people. You have been incredibly patient with me to have waited for so long, and I make you a sincere promise that I will update again inside of two weeks this time. No more waiting around feeling like I am never going to come back. Now, I hope you liked it, and I really want to ask you to leave me a review if you would, pretty please?)


	4. Chapter 4

(A/N: Hello again folks! I know that I said less than two weeks, and I am calling it awfully close, but here I am, I said it and I meant it. Now, I have to take something of a poll at the end of this fic, so if you would review and answer it at the end of this chapter, I would be thrilled! Anyway, the warnings haven't changed; I won't be doing that until after the poll gets answered. And, no, I don't own the Avengers, not in the least, so don't ask to borrow it. Now folks, on with the show!)

Part 4: Tony, Charred and Annoyed

"What do you mean you don't think he saw this coming?" Bruce asked at last, once enough of Tony's injuries were covered that he could breathe easier. Loki lifted his eyes, frowning slightly and rolling his shoulders, looking over the damage that had been done.

"I think he wasn't even touching it when it exploded. For one, thankfully, his eyes escaped damage, but his eyebrows and hair are heavily singed. So I think he was looking down at one of the parts. His hands are damaged more heavily, so they were probably resting on the table, he didn't have time to pull them back. But that probably protected his chest from a good deal of damage," Loki said, his Midgardian medical training starting to show through. Bruce figured that he had been too shocked to think properly before. It happened to them all from time to time.

"Of course I didn't see it coming. Who puts a bomb in a coffee maker outside of 90's action films?" Tony's voice was dry and cracking and both Bruce and Loki's head snapped toward their friend. With his eyes half open and mouth barely managing the sarcastic grin, Tony still looked bad, but being awake was an extremely positive sign. Bruce frowned slightly, his hands hovering uncertainly until he found the undamaged skin of Tony's left shin, giving it a slight touch.

"I'm glad it wasn't worse," Bruce whispered, feeling the Hulk shivering in discomfort and agitation inside of his mind.

"Yeah, well, dumb luck is on my side most of the time. Your doctor lackeys are their way, aren't they," Tony grumbled, attempting to twist his head and hissing at the obstruction of the neck brace. If his hands weren't so covered in gauze and burn cream, he would rip the thing off and they all knew it too. Agitation and annoyance were things that Tony tended to express when other people would be frightened or upset. Bruce was thankfully used to such outbursts and kept a soft, reassuring smile on his lips.

"I had to call them love," Bruce ran a hand through his hair and smiled, "Be glad that you sent Loki to those classes. He knew how to take care of you when I was too freaked out," the doctor whispered, reorganizing his thoughts when JARVIS notified him that the professionals were on their way. There was nothing that he could do to help if he couldn't give them a proper report, and he hated to be ineffective.

"What was I going to do? Leave a god of mischief pacing around the house with nothing to do? The place wouldn't be standing," Tony said sarcastically, earning a smirk and an eye roll from Loki. The mood felt lighter with Tony's sarcastic remarks filling it, and it was a balm that carried Bruce through to when the doctors arrived.

Both Loki and Bruce were ushered out of the room so that the doctors could perform the checks that involved heavier equipment and embarrassing questions. Though neither of them really wanted to leave their friend alone, it was a necessary evil and as such they opted to distract themselves.

"JARVIS, what is the status of the investigation that Clint started?" Bruce asked and Loki popped out of the room, his face a blank mask, leaving Bruce unaware of where he could be headed. Taking a seat in the partially destroyed lab, Bruce looked around, surveying the damage and attempting to figure out what could have happened. Tony had said that there was a bomb in the coffee maker, but how had it gotten there?

"It would seem that he has come to a conclusion as to who or what is to blame as he has left the premise with his gear," JARVIS replied and Bruce frowned deeply. Why would Clint leave by himself, without telling any of the rest of them where he was going?

"Do you know where he went? Could you tell me what he found?" Bruce asked, picking at the material of the jeans that he loved so much and inhaling the scent of Tony's shirt for comfort. He waited while JARVIS called up the security videos that Clint had been watching, dreading what he would find.

"This was the footage that Agent Barton felt merited investigation," JARVIS said at last and one of the holo-screens closest to Bruce flickered to life, shifting its angle so that he could see it properly. Of course Tony probably had every possible square foot of his home under surveillance, and thankfully, for once, his paranoia seemed to have paid off. But just as Clint had likely been confused by what the video had to show, so too was Bruce. He tilted his head and felt the Hulk growl as he stared at what appeared to be SHIELD Director Nick Fury, replacing their much loved coffee pot, with what could only be the volatile fake.

"JARVIS, run facial recognition scans, highest sensitivity. Compare to Director Fury's SHIELD identification file," Bruce said, breath tight in his chest, fists clenching against his thighs. If it truly was Fury, then there was no sort of torture that Bruce didn't wish upon him, but if it was a fake, then Clint was setting himself up for retribution that he didn't deserve. He stared hard at the screen as the two pictures were scanned, and 48 points of comparison proved to be flawlessly matched.

"Scans confirm, within all likely probability, the individual captured on the security tapes is Director Fury," JARVIS somehow sounded frustrated and bothered by the information, the normally unflappable AI was uncomfortable. Bruce figured that it had to do with the fact that his creator was once again injured, and that the security protocols in place had been breached.

"I don't believe it…" Bruce frowned and scrubbed his hands over his face. "Access SHIELD database, top priority clearance level. Give me Director Fury's whereabouts at the time that this footage was obtained," he said firmly, using his phone to send Clint a quick message to delay his strike while JARVIS confirmed their suspicions. Even for Tony's masterful program, cracking into Nick Fury's personal data took a few moments.

The screen loaded the file on Fury, indicating that at the same time as the stamp on the security footage, Director Fury was aboard the SHIELD helicarrier overseeing the training of several new recruits. The helicarrier had been in the mid-Atlantic ocean, adrift for safety reasons. There was no denying that there was something going on and Bruce quickly sent a message to Clint, to prevent him from causing a catastrophe.

Someone had hurt Tony, and their intention had been to cause a rift between the Avengers and SHIELD HQ. Bruce was extremely displeased, the Hulk was more than ready to appear and tear people apart for what had happened, and it was only the thought of Tony's safety that restrained him. Instead of flying off the handle and allowing himself to take a trip to the Hulk-proof room nearby, he called the Avengers to assemble. They had some very serious things to discuss, and he knew that Tony would want to be a part of the meeting.

(A/N: Well, there you go, another chapter finished. Sorry for the shortness of this one. But I promise that there is more to come and that there are going to be regular updates from now on. Anyway, the question that I had for everyone here, is what I should do. I have two separate stories written from this point. One includes Tony/Bruce mpreg, and the other doesn't. So basically, majority rules, I will post the one that gets the most votes. Thanks for reading and I will see you next time!)


	5. Chapter 5

(A/N: I was gone for almost a month. I'm sorry about that folks. I wouldn't have been, but my brain has been all over the place. I don't think you minded though, because I haven't seen much activity on this story, and can only assume from lack of reviews that not many of you care. I got one review answering my question, so this fic will not include any mpreg. Now, I don't know how much longer it will be, but I predict only one or two more chapters. I don't know how paper will translate to computer after all. Anyway. On with the show!)

Part 5: Fury, Deception, and Progress

1 month later

5 post injury

The crutches that Tony used were his own modified design, adaptive and reactive. They bore his weight when he needed to, but offered him a gentle resistance so that he could also work on retraining his legs to hold him upright. They were also unsubtly colored like his armor, and came with lights in the bottoms so that he could manage stairs at night. He was obscenely proud of them.

"Tony, you need to at least talk to Fury about this," Bruce said, obviously using what Tony had come to call his 'pleading eyes' but the billionaire was not having any of that. If Fury wanted to talk about the major security breach that had led to an exploded coffee maker, and a near set-back in his recovery, then Fury could call him. The clone couldn't have existed without a sample of Fury's DNA, which meant that the fool had allowed someone close enough to do the damage. Now, Tony knew that something like that could happen, and he would be willing to forgive, but for one factor. Nick Fury was so paranoid that he never allowed anyone close enough to touch him that wasn't a trusted SHIELD member. That meant that an Agent was dirty.

"If he admits that he has a traitor in his ranks then fine. But until then there isn't anything anyone can do to make me deal with the bastard," Tony said firmly, glaring at Bruce and swinging one of his crutches for good measure. He had full use of his arms, and decent mobility in his legs. Even most of his burns had been superficial enough to have already healed. It was a point that he was trying to make, rather to emphasize: he didn't need anyone's help. He was a grown ass man and was able to get around without an over-protective parent hovering behind him like his bones would crumble into powder.

"You know that he won't share that with you. He will investigate internally and deal with the breach in secret. That is just how Fury operates," Bruce said, trying to be persuasive when he knew that he had no chance of getting through to Tony when he was in such a state. The scientist merely breathed through his nose, slowly, counted to ten, and gave Tony a kiss on the head. He wasn't going to keep arguing, not when Tony was still hurt, and not when he could just as easily talk to Fury himself. No one got around Tony Stark's pride, not even his husband-to-be. Dammit all if that wasn't part of what Bruce loved so much about him.

"I'll be up at 6 for dinner," Tony called as Bruce retreated, knowing that his partner was stressed. The smile Bruce gave him was worth the certain interruption to his work in progress. He had gotten much better about dealing with being a people person. The Avengers were no longer just people that stayed in his house with him; they were his family, a ragtag bunch of heroes with serious issues. He loved them all in their own way, even if he was mildly terrified by Natasha, and would never understand Thor's insatiable appetite.

With the lab empty, Tony slid himself into a standing position, using his crutches as levers, and hobbled away from the random assortment of wires and circuitry that he had been pretending to fiddle with while Bruce was present. He proceeded with as much purpose as he could toward a concealed set of tables, tucked around the back corner of his lab and covered with random schematics to throw people off of them. The sheets of paper were easily cleared away and stacked nearby, ready to be strewn about once again. Beneath them was a collection of small tools, a box containing an odd assortment of gems and several gold rings, empty of adornment and in varying sizes.

While he had never told Clint and Natasha that he was going to be providing the rings for their wedding, he had told them not to worry about anything. He was more than capable of covering the costs, the planning and the prep, and it would give him practice for his own impending nuptials. Besides all of that, he knew that no one, famous ring maker or not, could craft a unique or special enough design for the couple. He was talented, and had spent hours mapping and re-mapping the contours of the metal and the placement of the gems until they were perfect. If a ring could symbolize personality, then the designs that he had come up with were so spot on it would be amazing if they didn't speak.

Natasha's ring, being from Clint, was a non-traditional metal for a wedding band, black hematite, the same as Clint's magnetic arrowheads. The gems were small, cut into triangular chips to build a simple flower of amethyst and emerald, a blending of Clint's favorite color, and his secret love of nature. Around the flower shape was a collection of small threads of hematite, which were blended down into the band after having been woven into something resembling a nest, which was how Clint chose to sleep. Tony had seen the inside of Clint and Natasha's room during spying mission when they were out. He had seen the careful construction of blankets and pillows, stolen shirts and other bits of fabric with only enough room in the middle for two closely snuggled bodies. He knew that Clint had a morbid fear of sleeping unprotected and so surrounded himself with things that were familiar and safe. The Avengers themselves were Clint's waking nest, and they all realized it on some level.

Tony was now working on Clint's ring, which was from Natasha, who was very secretly a very traditional woman, at least in some matters. He kept with the traditional matching metal for the rings, though the hematite in Clint's ring was meant to represent Natasha's daggers; they had saved Clint's life more than once. With the gems he chose to diverge, placing small, round cut rubies along the edges of the ring, for the fire in Natasha's personality that flared even more brightly when she was with Clint. He chose a slightly larger circular cut of sapphires to fill the space between the rows of rubies for the simple purity of Natasha's love for Clint. So much of the woman, though stern and outwardly cold, was built around Clint and protecting him, that Tony had no idea what sort of woman she would be without the archer. He wondered silently, if Clint wasn't with them, whether Natasha would be with them as well. The band of Clint's ring was plain and simple, just like Natasha's attitude toward life, clear-cut and unadorned, uncaring for anything but what she needed to do.

They were by far some of the most personal things that Tony had ever crafted, and he had been careful to ensure that nothing of himself went into them. He poured his love for his friends into the work, into the great care and detail of the cut of the gems, into the shaping of the metal, but left no impression of his personality upon them. He would save that, the utter emptying of his heart and soul into a piece of metal and stone, for the ring that he would give to Bruce. When he said 'I do' he would slip a literal representation of his entire being onto the finger of the man that he loved, and he would be happy to do so.

He knew that Bruce already had a ring picked to give to Tony, one that meant something to Bruce on a level that Tony could scarcely comprehend. There was a love in that bit of silver that Tony didn't have the words for, and though it wasn't Bruce's personality, it was his heart that Tony would wear, and that meant the world to him. He loved Bruce with nearly as much intensity as a human being could muster, and was not ashamed of the idea that Bruce loved him just as much. Which was exactly why he intended to ignore the fact that Bruce had scuttled away to make a call to Fury on his own.

(A/N: Oh my god, I really didn't mean to go that sappy. I truly didn't people. But here it is, and I hope you liked it. If you could please leave me a review to tell me what you thought, I would appreciate it immensely.)


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